Conventionally, schools and other teaching institutions have relied on books, chalk boards, and a few other simple instruments when conducting a teaching session for its pupils. In 1907, Dr. Maria Montessori, developed a scientific method of teaching to educate children through direct control of their environment. This method used certain materials to stimulate a child's senses and make the learning experience more memorable for learning purposes. This approach used hands-on materials, such as a board or rug to offer a student an opportunity to move objects around with their hands while learning new concepts.
One example included “numerical rods” which included ten rods of varying length which represented 10 numbers from 1 to 10. Each rod is divided by two colors (with the exception of the one portion rod), such as red and blue sections. This permitted the children to intuitively grasp the relationship between length and an associated number.
The original Casa Dei Bambini opened in Rome in 1907. Over the last 100 years there have been significant changes in the construction and exterior look and feel of Montessori equipment. Overall, the functionality of the equipment has remained the same, and there has not yet been any computer-based platforms or other modern technology introduced into the learning process to improve the hundred year old teaching methods. In fact, the Montessori movement has been quite apprehensive to the notion of adopting modern technology in general, including electronic media and related devices. Television is still considered a bad influence over children by older teaching institutions. Some well-respected institutions don't even embrace Internet access, even for the non-teaching office staff members.